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Azure functions can be containerized but what are the actual use cases for it. Is it portability and ease of running it in any Kubernetes environment on prem or otherwise? Or anything further?

GilliVilla
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As far as I Know,

We can run the Azure Functions in a serverless fashion i.e., backend VMs and servers managed by the Vendor (Azure). Also, I believe there are 2 Azure Container Services like Container Instances and Kubernetes Service.

Azure Kubernetes Service handles large volume of containers.

  1. Much like running multiple virtual machines on a single physical host, you can run multiple containers in a single physical or virtual host.

  2. In VMs, you look at OS, disk, internet, updating the VM and patching, updating the applications present in VM and all you have to manage, whereas in containers, you don’t have to look at OS, you can easily provision the services like databases, python runtime in the container and utilize them.

Example:

You have control over the VM, but containers are not like that.

Let’s say If I’m the web developer / data scientist / data analyst who wants to work only on SQL Database.

It can be installed on the Virtual Machine, and it is also available through containers.

The primary difference would be,

When you deploy on containers, it would be a simple package which would let you only focus on SQL Database, all the other configuration like dependencies like OS, Configuration comes as part of that package can be taken care by that Container Service. But in the VM, the moment you install SQL Database, there are other dependencies you need to look at.

  • I think the question was more about why to use a container for deployment at all instead of just publishing it as zip file or so. Not about regular virtual machines vs. containers. Could you extend your answser on container vs. no container? :-) – stefan.at.kotlin Jan 21 '23 at 20:36
  • Hello @stefan.at.wpf, In the Last Paragraph I have given - why to use a container for deployment - it would be easy to shift the project from one container to another container with less configuration and set-up. Also, it reduces costs when containers are in idle state. –  Jan 22 '23 at 03:31
  • Visit to the JonathanGeorge's [article](https://endjin.com/blog/2022/09/bye-bye-azure-functions-hello-azure-container-apps-part-1-introduction#:~:text=Azure%20Container%20App%20went%20GA,something%20like%20Azure%20Kubernetes%20Service) for more info on Cost Perspective, Migration of Function App Perspective, what kind of Function Apps can be moved to Container architecture perspective. –  Jan 22 '23 at 03:31